Mainly Norfolk: English
Folk and Other Good Music

Lament to the Moon

Packie Manus Byrne sang Lament to the Moon
in 1974 to Mike Yates, which was released in 1977 on his Topic album
Songs of a Donegal Man.
This recording was also included in 2002 on his Veteran CD
Donegal & Back.
Mike Yates commented in the original album's sleeve notes:

Sweet Silvery Moon, or Lament to the Moon as Packie prefers
to call it, possibly came from an early 19th-century stage play.
The song appeared on an English broadside which was issued by Jackson of
Birmingham and the version collected in Gloucestershire by Alfred Williams
bears a striking similarity to the words on Jackson’s sheet. Williams included
the text in his
Folk-Songs of the Upper Thames
(1923) and the English music scholar Ann Geddes Gilchrist noted in her copy of
William’s book that the music to the song was composed by J.W. Turner in
1847. According to Packie, there are at least a dozen airs to the song,
including this one which, he believes, comes from the Glens of Antrim.
Packie calls this a “round the fire song”, meaning that it is the
sort of song which would be sung at home during the long winter evenings.
And although several singers in his parish knew the song he recalls that he
had the words from Sarah Hegarty of Donegal.

The Wrenboys of Listowel, Co. Kerry, performed a short fragment of the tune
By the Bright Silvery Light of the Moon
on St Stephen's Day, December 26, 1976. This recording by Doc Rowe was included
in 1998 on the Topic anthology of songs and dance tunes of seasonal events,
You Lazy Lot of Bone-Shakers
(The Voice of the People Volume 16).

Anni learned this song from Packie Byrne, who learned it from his mother,
although it is a variant of an English Parlour song. Anni was inspired to
learn this song by the singing of Tim Edwards.

Alasdair Roberts learned Lament to the Moon
from the singing of Packie Manus Byrne and sang it in 2015 on the
Furrow Collective's EP
Blow Out the Moon.

Lyrics

Packie Manus Byrne sings Lament to the Moon

As I strayed along at the close of the day,
About the beginning of June,
'Twas there in the glade I espied a fair maid,
As she sang her lament to the moon.

Chorus:
Roll along, silv'ry moon; guide the traveller on his way,
Whilst the nightingale sings her sweet tune.
There is no time so sweet as when true lovers meet
By the bright silvery light of the moon.

My love he was young and a bold fisherman,
His arms were brawny and strong.
His voice was clear and a pleasure to hear
When singing an old shanty song.

But his boat went down, and my true love had found
A grave 'neath the deep angry sea,
Never more to return, and it's for him I'll mourn,
Till the day that the clay covers me.

He bought me a ring; we appointed the day;
For its married we were to be soon.
But alas to my grief he now lies in the deep,
Cut down like a rose in full bloom.